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ASA clubs recognised at Community Sport and Recreation Awards

Farnham Swimming Club were celebrating last night after receiving the Volunteer Management Award at the 2013 Community Sport and Recreation Awards in London.

The Awards - in their 20th year - are organised by the Sport and Recreation Alliance to recognise sports organisations and bodies for the work they do in the community.

Nominations for the ASA Aquaforce Awards are open until the 15th July - if you are inspired by this story and want to recognise a volunteer, please tell us about them now.Having been nominated by the ASA, Farnham were selected as the winner of the Volunteer Management Award sponsored by TMG CRB – holding off strong competition from hundreds of other sports clubs to scoop a £1000 cash prize for the club and being publically recognised for the fantastic work they are doing for volunteers in the club.

Club Chairman Chris Lee and Volunteer Manager Graham Chalkey travelled down to St James' Palace to attend the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s AGM and receive their award, which was presented to them by HRH The Earl of Wessex.

“We are delighted to win this prestigious national Volunteer Management Award," said Lee. "It is a real accolade and the club committee is immensely grateful to all of our volunteers who have dived in to help with the running of the club in recent years, I am really thrilled for everyone involved.

"We are also grateful for all of the best practice guidance and overall tool box which the Amateur Swimming Association make available to clubs such as ours as well as for their continuing support.”

"This award is a real vindication of the direction we have taken in the past few years with volunteers at the forefront of everything that we do" - Farnham Club Chairman Chris Lee“For the Club, in its 120th Anniversary Year, it’s a real vindication of the direction we have taken in the past few years with volunteers at the forefront of everything that we do, and I hope that this is just the start of our journey.”

Sport and Recreation Alliance Chief Executive Tim Lamb added: “This award recognises the fantastic example that Farnham Swimming Club sets in how it recruits and supports its volunteers.

"There are more volunteers that give their valuable time to sport than in any other sector and, quite frankly, without them most sport and recreation clubs simply wouldn’t be able to function.

"Farnham Swimming Club is an excellent example of a club that has embraced volunteers and capitalised on the talents at their disposal to ensure the club continues to go from strength to strength.”

In addition to Farnham’s success, Winchester City Penguins Swimming Club were highlighted as a Highly Commended nominee in the Volunteer Management category which again is a fantastic achievement!

The club were awarded a certificate to recognise their work with volunteers.

The applications for the awards were split into 6 categories, covering the breadth of work that is done in the community, and prizes were awarded for the following:

Volunteer Management

School Links

Professional Club Community Project of the Year Award

Green Thinking

Innovative Project Award

There was also an award for the Overall Community Sport and Recreation winner.

The ASA were only able to nominate three clubs for the awards - an incredibly difficult decision considering the number of impressive applications we had, so thank you to every club that submitted an application and for the work that you are doing for your community.

The three clubs selected to go forward to the Sport and Recreation Alliance were Chelmsford Swimming Club, Farnham Swimming Club and Winchester City Penguins Swimming Club. Their applications were submitted in May along with a supporting statement from the ASA to back up the great work they were doing.

The ASA are delighted that our clubs have been publically recognised for the work they are doing and it is a great testament to the work that is going on in swimming up and down the country to develop and recognise our volunteer workforce.

"The ASA are really investing in the development opportunities available for volunteers across the sport and it is encouraging to see that this is being reflected in the community and the work that is going on in clubs across the country," said ASA Head of Volunteer Engagement Francesca Kelly.

"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Farnham Swimming Club and Winchester City Penguins for their recognition and to also thank each and every volunteer for their dedication and commitment to the sport."